Jen Murse, a graphic designer from LA founded Plastique* in 2008 to keep her true passions alive. Her love for designs led her to creating modern and stylish jewelry. They are made from laser cut acrylic which gives out a beautiful finishing to her jewelry pieces. What I like the most about her creations is their simple designs yet they flash such a vogue look. Totally impressive!

Jen herself designs and assembles each piece; infesting her love for digital and tangible design in them. She has a day time job too besides handling everything at Plastique* from designing to shipping. Jen is a great example of an inspiring online business owner and we truly appreciate it!

Here's our interview with Jen below. Get to know how she started her business online and her experience while selling online:

Jen, please introduce yourself to E-junkies.

Hi! My name is Jen and I'm the owner and designer of plastique*. I also work as a graphic designer specifically in the interactive space designing websites and mobile applications. I love clean, minimal design which drives a lot of the work I do. I also love to travel around the world and have done so extensively. I am a music junkie and I have a soft spot for stuffed animals.


What influences the designer within you?

I'm influenced by the people around me, the places I've been, the things I interact with on a daily basis. I have a deep love for math-related things which I think drives my need for clean and minimal design. I am a bit OCD so I love the grid like no other and a lot of my designs are usually rooted in some sort of geometry.




























































































What inspired you to create 'Plastique'? We would love to know about its inception.

A few years ago I had found a plastic diamond ring at a shop in town and loved it. I loved how it played off the idea of a traditional diamond ring but it was made of plastic. Later on I found a real diamond ring set in silver that had the diamond inverted. I wanted to make that same ring but with plastic. I found a way to laser cut plastic and set in a fake diamond. That was my first piece and it was just for me. Even though it was just a hobby at that point, it was really the beginning of plastique* because my friends wanted the ring and then that turned into me starting an Etsy shop and it all kind of evolved from there.




































Before setting up 'Plastique' online in 2008, did you ever try selling your creations offline?

Nope!


How has been your experience selling online so far?

I do fairly well selling online. Even though I have a URL of my own, my Etsy shop does much better. I think it's because of Etsy's huge customer base. There's so many ways to share products on there and search around that I think people find my stuff from other people. It's been quite successful thus far but I know it can be a fluke sometimes. I have other friends who sell on Etsy and don't have nearly the number of sales I have. I believe that blogs contributed to my success because they drove a lot of traffic to my shop. And now with so much Twitter and Facebook integration, I think that's all helped as well with selling online.








































































Share your fondest memory with 'Plastique'.

There are so many fond memories of plastique* as it has grown over time. From the day I got my plastic back and was able to make that first ring work correctly (there was a bit of trial and error with the shape to fit the diamond) to the first show I ever sold out and saw the tremendous positive response from customers. It's all been a great ride thus far.






































It would be difficult for you to answer we would really like to know your favorite piece from 'Plastique'.

Oooh, this is a toughie for sure. I am really in love with the boombox necklace I sell. I got the details worked out very nicely and the etching is very crisp. It's a favorite amongst customers as well. The original ring I spoke of earlier I don't sell anymore but that will always have a special place in my heart since it was the beginning of it all. I am currently working on a limited edition piece that I hope will work out involving RGB and CMYK color models. If it works out, it might be my favorite piece ever. We shall see!






































What are your dreams/vision for 'Plastique'?

I would love to be able to quit my job and do plastique* full time. I'd love to open a proper brick and mortar shop too. I have such fun interacting with customers at vendor fairs that it'd be great to have a small shop and interact with people who come in. I also want to expand my line to have more custom pieces. I enjoy doing custom runs for people and helping them see their visions come to life. So I definitely want to get more into that as well.


What would you advise offline business owners or aspiring online merchants? One thing you wish you'd have advised yourself before starting online?

It's hard to say because it all kind of happened randomly for me. I'd say definitely reach out to blogs and utilize social media. It can be a huge helper in spreading the word about your stuff. I find that a lot of awesome products fail because no one ever sees them. You have to make sure people see your stuff. You can't sell something that no one knows exists!


And a final word for our readers?

Thanks for reading! I truly appreciate all the fans of plastique* out there and the people who have helped me get to the point I'm at. I hope that a year from now you'll see even more fun creations from me.


Jen, thank you so much for the interview. You are an inspiring online merchant and we wish you all the best for having your own physical shop as well. Good luck!


Visit Plastique* to see some awesome jewelry pieces.
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